Artists offer a glimpse of their worlds, demonstrate and explain their creative processes, and sell their artwork during the 16th annual Whidbey Island Open Studio Tour from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 6 and 7.

The free two-day tour brings art lovers from all over to the island, when 55 painters, sculptors, photographers, potters, glass blowers, woodworkers, jewelers, weavers and textile artists open their studios to the public at 45 different locations island-wide.

The Whidbey Island Open Studio Tour is a cooperative effort by artists and the Island Arts Council. A brochure with descriptions and photos of the artists’ work, a map and detailed directions to each tour stop can be accessed at island artscouncil.org. Bright yellow tour signs will guide visitors, and the brochures also include a QR code to help find studios.

“Everyone’s excited to share their work and welcome people to their studios,” said textile artist Janis Saunders, tour artist coordinator.

The tour can be experienced in a number of ways. Organize your itinerary by location, genré or areas of interest.

From Clinton to Greenbank, 30 studios will be open. North of Greenbank, 15 studios are listed. A bonus of the tour is the chance to explore the island’s rural back roads, finding unusual living spaces and resourceful artists blending their artistic lives with pastoral surroundings.

Observing artists creating also enriches the Open Studio Tour experience. Most offer “artist in action” demonstrations.

Glassblowing, which is nearly always a team effort, is exciting to watch.

Glassblowers on the tour include Rob Adamson and Janis Swalwell at Island Art Glass, and Joi and Dan LaChaussee, located near each other in Langley, off Newman Road.

Adamson said, “We’re going to have our first annual glass pumpkin sale during the tour, and in the hot shop we’ll be making garden art and fish.”

Sandra Whiting will demonstrate how to make handmade books and printmaking in her Sweetwater Farm studio in Clinton. Mary Ashton makes handmade paper, books, prints and textiles focusing on the process and natural materials in the Marcy Johnson studio in Greenbank.

Textile artists, from weavers to silk painters, include Barbara Zander and Mary Burks in Langley, Anne Davenport in Freeland and Janis Saunders in Coupeville.

“I’ll be demonstrating Japanese kumohimo braiding for the tour,” said Saunders.

Some artists have more than one specialty, such as Marcy Johnson of Greenbank who is a weaver and a metal jewelry maker. Mary Ellen O’Conner in Coupeville creates metal jewelry in addition to silk painting.

The tour offers 21 painters scattered around the island. Some artists share studio space with others for the tour, so visitors can view works of multiple artists in one stop.

Painters Sue Owen and Nancy Anderson share display space at Blue House Gallery in Useless Bay Colony. At the Pacific Northwest Art School in Coupeville, painters Barbara Marks and Jennifer Bowman show their works.

We encourage an open exchange of ideas on this story's topic, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. Personal attacks, inappropriate language, and off-topic comments may be removed, and comment privileges revoked, per our Terms of Use. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.